The secret life of a beauty girl, insider beauty tips & trends

A new way to cleanse

I’m quite particular about how I cleanse my skin, I am one of those annoying people that will always cleanse my skin before going to bed, even if it ends up being a baby wipe I will always remove the days impurities. Living in london and having a daily underground commute I love nothing more than that skin fresh feeling.

All that said I am a sucker for a one product wonder. I lean towards water based cleansers that will hydrate feel cooling and clean my skin and eye area. For years my ultimate go to was YSL 4-in-1 cleanser (now known as Top Secrets Toning and Cleansing Water) it was a luxurious and soothing way to end the day, knowing that I didn’t need a separate eye makeup remover or toner afterwards..

Then two years ago I discovered Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser and my attitude towards cleansing took on a new angle. With the most beautiful textures, exquisite spa-like aromas it was a pleasure to massage on to my skin every day. The best of all it was eye makeup remover friendly. Finally a professional deep cleansing product that could be used across the whole face.

What I loved most of all was the soft hydrated feeling it gave my skin, the cream texture formula glides on to your skin, Elemis and indeed I also recommend leaving it your skin for a minute or two, I tend to use this time to brush my teeth, I wear quite thick eye liner so usually removing it can be a struggle as I’m sure most of you reading this have experienced. However this cleanser somehow dissolves it, there is no other way to describe it. It comes packaged with a luxurious 100% cotton cleansing mitt, like a flannel you can slip your hand into. Warmed under the tap or sink the feeling of the hot cloth on the skin is really replenishing. Your cloth will look very dirty however it is easily cleansed under the tap and eventually in the washing machine.

This shift in cleansing rituals made me re think my use of toners, despite working in the industry for years I had never really given toners the time they deserve. So why tone? Well toners help rebalance your skin, close your pores, restore your PH level and aid the absorption of your moisturiser and if used in the morning your foundation – think of it as a primer!

So why the need to discuss this now? Well my routine has been given a super boost! The launch of Elemis’s Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm has added a deeper spa treatment inspired boost to my skin. You can use this cleansing balm daily however I intend to use it once a week as a more intense cleansing treatment mask.

Just unscrewing the beautifully simple but luxurious jar gives out the most beautiful aroma, like a spa in a jar, you instantly go on a sensorial journey by the British botanical actives, geranium, lavender, chamomile, eucalyptus, ho wood, orange, menthol and clove, blended into wheat germ, oat, starflower, elderberry oils and mimosa and rose wax.

As you can imagine it has a waxy oil texture but one that feels more silky than greasy. It’s texture and formulation apparently make it perfect for oily or blemish prone skin, I don’t suffer from those skin issues but felt that the texture was very exquisite. You can simply massage on to skin and instantly remove with the cleansing cloth or leave on the skin up to ten minutes as a treatment mask, perfect for when you’re relaxing in the bath. The cleansing cloth that comes with the product is large enough to cover the entire face and is designed to hold the warm heat from water to give a hot cloth style mask.